In some workplace cultures, it’s considered normal to work overly long hours, including weekends. People are constantly juggling multiple tasks and switching rapidly from one task to another. In such an environment, there is little room for pause or recovery. In practice, recovery only happens during freetime or holidays, even though ideally it should occur during the workday as well.
A state of hyperarousal is like the turbo gear of the central nervous system, often triggered by project work, uncertainty, or meaningless fragmented tasks. The mechanism regulating nervous systeml has developed over thousands of years as part of the human body's adaptive system, controlled by a complex interplay of the brain and autonomic nervous system. In addition to responding to external stimuli, the brain and nervous system regulate internal functions. The brain continuously senses the environment, interprets it, and produces emotions based on those interpretations. The purpose of emotions is primarily to ensure safety, smart energy use, and survival.
A stressed mind and body are in a state of hyperarousal, often causing sleep disturbances, difficulty concentrating, digestive issues, and weakened immunity. In the worst cases, it can lead to anxiety and depression.
People experience hyperarousal in different ways. One might feel anxious or even panicked. Another might feel an almost manic excitement when starting a new, stimulating project. This heightened state can feel thrilling and inviting—so much so that you don’t want to come down from it. Calming down becomes difficult.
The fight-or-flight mode of hyperarousal can work well for short periods but is poorly suited for the prolonged stress typical in today’s working life. One downside is that attention becomes narrowly focused on the source of the perceived danger, making it hard to notice anything outside the stressor. This impairs the ability to see the big picture, think creatively, or make good decisions.
Prolonged hyperarousal becomes a stress state harmful to health. It also weakens critical workplace skills such as decision-making, setting boundaries, and empathy. Cognitive abilities and expertise are no longer functioning optimally. Simply put, we become a bit “less smart” when we’re in hyperarousal.
Personality also plays a role: introverts get overwhelmed by social interaction and need alone time to recover. This doesn’t mean they’re shy or quiet—an introvert might be outgoing at work and enjoy people, but prefer to retreat into solitude in the evening, train alone, or dive into a good book.
Extroverts, on the other hand, draw energy from other people. They may become exhausted when alone. For them, recovery may come from socializing with friends or chatting in the office break room.
People who feel they lack control at work or experience relationship stress often struggle to fall asleep or suffer from fragmented sleep. Their heart rate stays elevated. Unfinished work may enter their minds even in the middle of the night, especially when tasks exceed the available time.
The “window of tolerance” is a state in which a person feels safe and calm. From a leadership perspective, it’s vital to remember that all skills and expertise are accessible when a person is within this window.
When in the window of tolerance, people feel good, can concentrate, and collaborate more easily. It’s possible to see the big picture, engage in dialogue, make agreements, and reach wise decisions. This is where the best ideas and most effective collaborations arise. Creativity and skills thrive in this state. Organizational development processes are often most successful when they stay within this zone.
The ability to concentrate, understand and listen to others, manage complex systems, use judgment, and make decisions all deteriorate significantly during hyperarousal—especially when the state is prolonged.
• Try to do less
• Take breaks—even when you feel the urge to push through
• Go deeper rather than doing more
• Ask yourself if it’s truly necessary to be involved in everything
• Wind down your evenings and maintain a regular sleep rhythm
• Find delicious new recipes and enjoy a proper meal during the week
• Smell and observe your food before diving in
• Eat slowly and chew carefully
• Read a book before falling asleep
• Enjoy the twilight and slow your pace with nature
• Let go of the need to be good at everything or to be perfect
• Ask for help and admit when you're overwhelmed
• Accept that you can't have it all
• Accept that being a work-in-progress is okay
Cross your arms over your chest. Breathe deeply and calmly. Tap your chest gently, alternating hands.
Dare to try it? Many have begun the journey of slowing down and doing less—and found the energy they needed for work and learning. As a bonus, they’ve gained the efficiency they were originally chasing.
In January, the University of Oulu’s Micro-entrepreneurship training within the Continuous Learning unit launched a new project that includes coaching alongside internationalization training for entrepreneurs. The goal is to increase participants’ self-awareness and confidence in their own strengths and individual ways of building entrepreneurship. In autumn 2025, the course “Recognize Your Skills and Strengths” will be renewed to include these themes more extensively. Entrepreneur wellbeing will play an even larger role in the course.
Author:
Päivi Lohikoski, DSc (Tech), MA (Comm), solution-focused coach, Head of Education, University of Oulu, Kerttu Saalasti Institute
Butterfly tap tip: Virpi Pietikäinen, M.Ed., MA, community educator, solution-focused supervisor & coach, Education Designer, University of Oulu, Kerttu Saalasti Institute
In Kerttu Saalasti Institute's blog we write about the topics of the Institute's research groups, micro entrepreneurship education and the Institute's general topics. The authors are researchers, experts and members of networks.
Our topics are: micro entrenepreneurship, future manufacturing technologies, regional excellence, micro entrepreneurship education